Pavon Deal Done?

We told you exclusively here at the Insider on Tuesday that the Galaxy was seriously pursuing Honduran striker Carlos Pavon. Now, my man Ives up north is saying the deal is done. I have not received confirmation today, but this story seems to have nailed it. (Insider and SBI, that's all you need!)

The offer was $22,000 per month for the rest of this calendar year, a $100,000 signing bonus next year and a $265,000 salary in '08. Chicago was awaiting a counter-offer. Perhaps they couldn't reach a deal, but $1.4 million is nowhere close to the real offer.

Salas would be a fool to turn down anything over $200k through November. He's good, and he would work well creating chances the Fire would otherwise go gawking at, but he won't get more elsewhere for five months' work. Strictly an 8-12 goal a year man.

As far as Goff vs Ives: I hope Goff makes a lot more money than Ives. My hat's off to Steven for sticking it to DC when things aren't right. Ives does the same thing, but he works for a rinkydink suburban paper, despite being able to work sources and turn a nice phrase.

Ives is the Shalrie Joseph of American soccer journalism: very skilled, tough as nails, working in a backwater, and woefully underpaid.

Does the NY Times or other Big Apple newspaper (News, Post, etc.)cover the greatest game up there? Or is the Times still in the stone ages, setting type by hand and not realizing its readership is moving to sports blogs like SBI and the Insider.

I agree with Drogs, these two sites are my must read each day and then listening to World Soccer Daily.

The NY Times pays nearly no attention to MLS. All three local papers pay a minoimal amount of attention to MLS as part of its Tuesday soccer ghetto. RBNY gets plenty of coverage from the Star-Ledger (Tony Soprano's morning read) and the North Jersey Herald News (Ives). Another reason why they are truly a Jersey and not NY team.

I check the Insider three or four times a day, for all kinds of soccer news. I know you DC fans think you "own" Goff (despite the fact that when justified, he's more critical of United that I have ever been), but the Post is a national newspaper, and Goff has done a great job with a very supportive internet outlet.

Steve and Ives both deserve raises. Canales IMHO is under appreciated. In a just world, their raises would come out of Luis Bueno's paycheck. Remember a few months ago when Bueno trumpeted the dominance of Mexico after they beat Venezuela in a friendly? Geez! what was the guy smokin?

Sorry, I can't agree with the glowing recommendations of Ives Galarcep's writing. I'm sure he's a great guy, and on non-MLS topics his writing seems fine; but when talking about the Metros, he's too much of a homer. As media homerism goes, he's in the Bretos & Feldman class rather than the Goff & Tomasch class.